Skylight assembly

ABSTRACT

In a skylight assembly comprising a cupola supporting an openable skylight, the said skylight has two parallel rails pivotally attached to edges thereof. The rails slide in complementary guideways secured to the cupola to enable the skylight to be opened fully to allow maximum air passage in the open position.

United States Patent 1 3,903,661

Giibel 1 Sept. 9, 1975 [54] SKYLIGHT ASSEMBLY 3,728,819 4/1973 Goldbach cl al. 49/223 X 76 l t Kl G"bel,A F LSST" 1 5: m FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS l,559,764 2/1969 France .l 49/223 [22] Filed: Apr. I8, 1974 [211 Appl 461917 Primary Examiner]. Karl Bell Attorney, Agent, or FirmRobert W. Beach; R. M. [30] Foreign Application Priority Data Van Winkle Apr. 2|, i973 Germany 232040l Mar. 14, 1974 Germany 2412154 [57] ABSTRACT 49/379; 49/386 [n a skylight assembly comprising a cupola supporting 5 H Int CL: V I v I H E05; 15 20 EOSF 1 10 an openable Skylight, the said Skylight hElS 1W0 parallel 5 Fie'd of Search 52 1 72 49 7 8v 223 rails pivotally attached to edges thereof The rails slide 49/300, 360 386 379 in complementary guideways secured to the cupola to enable the skylight to be opened fully to allow maxil56] References Cited mum air passage in the open position.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 10 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures 3,420,000 l/l'969 Esscr 49/300 X PATENTED l975 sum 5 o Y PATENTED 9|975 3,903,661

SHEET 7 HF SKYLIGHT ASSEMBLY The invention relates to a skylight assembly having an operable skylight arranged on a cupola or support frame.

It is known to design skylight assemblies in such a way that the skylight can be swung up in order to allow entry of fresh air or to serve as smoke ventilators. However, as experience has shown, only a comparatively small air passage can be achieved by raising the skylight, since they cannot be completely swung up or folded back. It is only possible to open them by :1 limited amount relative to the size of a roof opening.

An object of the present invention is to provide a skylight assembly in which the greatest possible air passage is ensured in the open position. It is a further object to provide an opening mechanism for the assembly which is easy to operate and not susceptible to trouble. It is very desirable, of course, that the skylight cannot be opened from the outside in its closed position.

Accordingly the invention provides a skylight assembly comprising an openable skylight mounted on a supporting cupola, wherein two parallel rails carried on opposite lower edges of the skylight are horizontally displaceable in guideways connected securely to the cupola. The rails are connected, at respective one ends, by horizontal pivot pins to the skylight.

The skylight can be displaced laterally in such a way that the opening in the roof, which is covered by the skylight in the closed position, is freed for passage of air in the open position.

Preferably there is arranged at the free end of each rail a roller which runs between horizontal flanges of the associated guideway channel, and each guideway carries a roller over which the horizontal flanges of the associated channel-shaped rail slides. One end ofa tension spring can be fastened to the rail near its free end and the other spring end is connected to the guideway near its roller.

In the case of a further advantageous development of the invention, there is arranged on the lower skylight edge, near the free end of the rail, a locking device which eo-operates with a lock arranged on the support frame or cupola. Such lock may include a pawl dis placeable in the perpendicular direction and pivotable about a horizontal pivot pin. When the skylight is closed, a locking nose of the locking device engages with the lock pawl. The locking device can have a locking member which embraces the end of the guideway and which is released when the light dome is swung upwards. Release of the locking member can be facilitated by a roller thereon which co-operates with a bevelled rolling surface at the end of the guideway.

Preferably the lock pawl is seated at the end ofa hollow body housing a pre-tensioned spring which is held in the prestressed condition by a rotatably mounted locking lever. The spring is advantageously a pneumatic spring or compression spring the tension of which can be varied by an adjusting screw in the hollow body end remote from the lock pawl.

It is further advantageous that the lock pawl be held in the locking position by an insert piece or spacer which is supported against a support block arranged parallel to the locking lever. The insert piece can be a hollow body which bursts when a threshold temperature is reached, so that the opening mechanism becomes effective upon the exceeding of a specific temperature. The support block is advantageously pivotally mounted and connected to a release lever for actuating the opening mechanism independently of the temperature-sensitive spacer. The release lever can be normally engageable with a locking pawl of a release magnet.

The invention will be described further, by way ofexample, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. I is a side elevation of a preferred embodiment of skylight assembly conforming to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan of the assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation showing a locking device for the skylight of FIG. I, with parts in section;

FIG. 4 is an end elevation of a guide mechanism of the skylight of FIG. 1, with parts in section;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of the locking device from the side opposite that shown in FIG. 3 with parts in section and parts broken away, and showing a modified lock-releasing mechanism;

FIG. 6 is an elevation of another modification of the lock-releasing mechanism; and

FIG. 7 is an elevation an alternative embodiment of the lock-releasing mechanism shown in FIG. 6.

A preferred embodiment of skylight assembly conforming to the invention and shown in FIG. 1 comprises a cupola 1 supporting an openable skylight 2. The cupola l is insertable into a corresponding opening of a roof (not shown) and can be connected securely to the roof.

The skylight 2 has at its lower edge two rails 3 which extend parallel to one another and which are each connected at one end to the skylight 2 by means of horizontal pivot pins 4.

The rails 3 are of channel shape, as seen in FIG. 4, and have a perpendicular web 5 and horizontal upper and lower flanges 6 and 7. A roller 8 of greater diameter than the height of web 5 is arranged near the free end of each rail 3, i.e. the rail end opposite pivot pin 4. Furthermore, one end of a tension spring 9 is fastened adjacent the free end of each rail 3.

Provided on the upper edge of the cupola l are two guideways 10 which are parallel to one another and which are likewise in the form of channels, each having a perpendicular web 11 and an upper flange l2 and a lower flange 13. The webs 5 and ll of the rail 3 and guideway 10 are parallel to and spaced from each other and the horizontal flanges l2 and 13 of the guideway 10 overlap the horizontal flanges 6 and 7 of the rail 3. The roller 8 of the rail 3 is dimensioned to run along the horizontal flanges I2 and 13 of the guideway 10.

Near the end of each guideway 10 adjacent pivot pins 4, the guideway web 11 carries an idler roller 14 over which the horizontal flanges 6 and 7 of the respective rail 3 slide. Consequently. the two rollers 8 and 14 facilitate horizontal displacea'oility of the rails 3 within the guideways 10.

The other end of the spring 9 is fastened to the guideway I0 near the roller l4. The spring 9 is prestressed with the light dome closed and therefore biases the light dome toward open position. FIG. I shows the skylight 1 with its end opposite pins 4 tilted slightly upward and partially open. FIG. 2 shows the skylight in substantially horizontally displaced open position.

As will be seen from FIG. 3 there is arranged on the lower edge of the skylight 2, near the free end of the rails 3, a locking device l5 which co-opcrates with a lock 16 arranged on the cupola l. The locking device 15 is an angle member whose horizontal flange I7 is connected securely to the skylight 2. The inner side of the other flange 18, which points perpendicularly downward, carries a roller 19. In the closed position, as is indicated in FIG. 3, the roller 19 bears against the end of the guideway 10 so that angle serves as lock. When the skylight 2 is swung up somewhat by rotation about the pins 4, the roller 19 rolls upward along the lock 16 and an incline 20 formed in the end of guideway 10 until the perpendicular flange 18 of the locking device clears the guideway end. Now the skylight can be displaced in an approximately horizontal direction by virtue of the action of the spring 9 urging the rails 3 connected to the light dome aided by rollers 8 and 14 to move along the guideways 10.

In order to prevent opening of the light dome 2 from the outside, a bracket 21 is seated on the locking device 15. The perpendicularly downwardly directed leg 22 of the bracket has its end bent over in hook-shaped manner to form a finger 23. This hook-shaped end or finger 23 engages, in the locked position, into a lock pawl 24 which is pivotable about a pivot pin (not shown) and which is biased in the upright position by a leaf spring 25. The lock pawl 24 is displaceable in the perpendicular direction as indicated by the arrow. Upward displacement can be effected by a mechanical, electrical, pneumatic or hydraulic drive mechanism to effect release of the locking device 15.

The lock pawl 24 holds the bracket 21 and, consequently, the locking device 15 in the closed position when the lock pawl 24 is displaced downward. Through raising of the lock pawl 24, the roller 19 of the locking device I5 likewise runs upwards until the locking device 15 comes free from the lock. At this moment, because the pawl slot 26 opens toward pin 4, the locking finger 23 comes free from the lock pawl 24 and the light dome 2 can be opened by the force of spring 9.

Upon closing of the skylight in any suitable manner, such as by a draw cord, the finger 23 snaps into the corresponding recess 26 of the lock pawl 24 when the light dome is pushed completely over the support frame 1 and a pressure is exerted from above in this position so that the finger runs down the pawl incline against the force of leaf spring 25.

In accordance with FIG. 5, bracket 21 is replaced by a closure lever 27 which has a crosspiece 28 on its downwardly pointing free end.

Fastened to the support frame 1 by means of a bracket 29 and screws 29' is a hollow body 30 whose end adjacent the closure lever 27 has a lock pawl 24. The lock pawl 24 embraces, in the closed position, the crosspiece or finger 28 of the closure lever 27. The sealed hollow body 30 is a pneumatic spring having a piston (not shown) supported on an adjusting screw 31 for setting the pneumatic pressure.

FIG. 6 again shows the hollow body 30. A second piston carries a piston rod 32 to which the lock pawl 24 is connected for vertical displacement. With the spring stressed, as it is when the parts are in the dot-dash line positions, a locking lever 33, which is pivotally mounted by a pivot 34 on a guideway 35 of the pawldisplacing device, engages with its nose 36 behind the drawn-back lock pawl 24 to hold the pawl securely and maintain compression in the pneumatic spring.

Provided parallel to the locking lever 33 is a block 37 which is rotatable about a pin 38. When block 37 is in its dot-dash line position, it supports an insert piece 39 which, in turn, supports the locking lever 33 in the locking position. The insert piece 39 can be designed as a hollow body which bursts upon the exceeding of a threshold temperature, which by way of example may be 60 to C, and thus releases the locking lever 33.

Arranged on the block 37 is a release lever 40 whose free end is bent-over in hook-shaped manner to form a finger 41 and thereby is engageable with a lock pawl 42. The lock pawl 42 can be actuated by a release magnet 43 which is controlled by an electric pulse.

If the electromagnet 43 draws the lock pawl 42 back, so that the release lever 40 is released, the block 37 can swivel about the pivot pin 38, so that the insert piece 39 slides off and releases the locking lever 33, as is indicated by the solid line in accordance with FIG. 6. By swivelling of the locking lever 33, the locking nose 36 comes out of engagement with the lock pawl 24, so that this latter travels upwards by virtue of the pressure of the prestressed pneumatic spring 30 in order to raise the closure lever 27 so far that the locking device 15 with the roller 19 is freed and the skylight 2, which is biased by a spring such as spring 9 shown in FIG. 1, can be displaced to the side.

The locking lever 33 releases the lock pawl 24, however, also when the insert piece 39 bursts as a result of the exceeding of a predetermined temperature threshold and therefore the locking lever 33 can move into the position as is indicated in FIG. 6 by the solid line even though lever 40 and block 37 remain in the dot dash line position.

A renewed prestressing of the pneumatic spring 33 upon the re-closing of the light dome is effected by turning out of the adjusting screw 31, engaging of the release lever 40, inserting of the insert piece 39 and supporting of the locking lever 33 on the insert piece. Subsequently the adjusting screw 31 is turned in once more for the prestressing of the pneumatic spring.

In the case of the embodiment in accordance with FIG. 7, which shows the locking device also in the unlocked state, a compression spring 44 is arranged in guideway 35 instead of the pneumatic spring 30. Otherwise the operation is the same as in the case of the previously described example.

I claim:

1. A skylight assembly including a roof opening, a supporting cupola sealing such opening and an openable skylight on such cupola comprising means for supporting the skylight on the cupola including a pair of spaced, substantially horizontal, substantially parallel rails, a corresponding end of each rail pivotally connected to the skylight, guideway means including a pair of guideways carried by the cupola adjacent to said rails and means for supporting said rails on said guideways for relative displacement therebetween, means for biasing said rails for substantial horizontal displace ment into skylight-opening position, and locking means for locking the skylight in closed position in opposition to said biasing means.

2. The skylight assembly defined in claim I, in which each rail is a channel, each guideway is an opposed channel having its web spaced from the web of said rail channel, and the supporting means includes a first roller carried by the rail channel and engageable by the flanges of the cooperating guideway channel and a second roller carried by the guideway channel and engageable by the flanges of the rail channel.

3. The skylight assembly defined in claim 1, in which the biasing means is a helical spring having one end fastened to a rail and the other end fastened to a cooperating guideway.

4. The skylight assembly defined in claim 1, in which the locking means includes a first locking member carried by the skylight and a second locking member carried by a guideway and engageable with said skylight locking member for preventing horizontal displacement of the skylight.

5. The skylight assembly defined in claim 4, in which the first locking member includes a latching finger and substantially vertically displaceable lock pawl means having a recess for receiving said latching finger, whereby displacement of said lock pawl means in one direction effects disengagement of the first and second locking members.

6. The skylight assembly defined in claim 5, in which the second locking member includes a track having a first substantially vertical section and a second section inclined upwardly and toward the direction of horizontal skylight-opening displacement, and the first locking member includes a roller engageable with said track for guiding disengagement of the first and second lock members in response to displacement of the lock pawl in such one direction.

7. The skylight assembly defined in claim 5, and prestressed spring means for biasing the lock pawl for displacement in the lock member disengaging direction, screw means for adjusting the prestressed condition of said spring means, and lever means for latching the lock pawl against displacement by said prestressed spring means.

8. The skylight assembly defined in claim 7, support ing means spaced from the latching lever means, and insert means disposed between said supporting means and the latching lever means for holding the latching lever means in pawl-latching position.

9. The skylight assembly defined in claim 8, in which the insert means is a temperature-sensitive hollow body which bursts upon exposure to a threshold temperature, thereby releasing the pawl-latching lever means.

10. The skylight assembly defined in claim 8, in which the supporting means is a pivotably mounted block, a block-swinging lever having one end connected to said block and electromagnetic means engageable with the opposite end of said block-swinging lever and actuatable to effect swinging of said lever and thereby of said block out of latching lever supporting position, thereby releasing the pawl-latching lever means. 

1. A skylight assembly including a roof opening, a supporting cupola sealing such opening and an openable skylight on such cupola comprising means for supporting the skylight on the cupola including a pair of spaced, substantially horizontal, substantially parallel rails, a corresponding end of each rail pivotally connected to the skylight, guideway means including a pair of guideways carried by the cupola adjacent to said rails and means for supporting said rails on said guideways for relative displacement therebetween, means for biasing said rails for substantial horizontal displacement into skylight-opening position, and locking means for locking the skylight in closed position in opposition to said biasing means.
 2. The skylight assembly defined in claim 1, in which each rail is a channel, each guideway is an opposed channel having its web spaced from the web of said rail channel, and the supporting means includes a first roller carried by the rail channel and engageable by the flanges of the cooperating guideway channel and a second roller carried by the guideway channel and engageable by the flanges of the rail channel.
 3. The skylight assembly defined in claim 1, in which the biasing means is a helical spring having one end fastened to a rail and the other end fastened to a cooperating guideway.
 4. The skylight assembly defined in claim 1, in which the locking means includes a first locking member carried by the skylight and a second locking member carried by a guideway and engageable with said skylight locking member for preventing horizontal displacement of the skylight.
 5. The skylight assembly defined in claim 4, in which the first locking member includes a latching finger and substantially vertically displaceable lock pawl means having a recess for receiving said latching finger, whereby displacement of said lock pawl means in one direction effects disengagement of the first and second locking members.
 6. The skylight assembly defined in claim 5, in which the second locking member includes a track having a first substantially vertical section and a second section inclined upwardly and toward the direction of horizontal skylight-opening displacement, and the first locking member includes a roller engageable with said track for guiding disengagement of the first and second lock members in response to displacement of the lock pawl in such one direction.
 7. The skylight assembly defined in claim 5, and prestressed spring means for biasing the lock pawl for displacement in the lock member disengaging directioN, screw means for adjusting the prestressed condition of said spring means, and lever means for latching the lock pawl against displacement by said prestressed spring means.
 8. The skylight assembly defined in claim 7, supporting means spaced from the latching lever means, and insert means disposed between said supporting means and the latching lever means for holding the latching lever means in pawl-latching position.
 9. The skylight assembly defined in claim 8, in which the insert means is a temperature-sensitive hollow body which bursts upon exposure to a threshold temperature, thereby releasing the pawl-latching lever means.
 10. The skylight assembly defined in claim 8, in which the supporting means is a pivotably mounted block, a block-swinging lever having one end connected to said block and electromagnetic means engageable with the opposite end of said block-swinging lever and actuatable to effect swinging of said lever and thereby of said block out of latching lever supporting position, thereby releasing the pawl-latching lever means. 